The Spacecoin Writing Contest by Spacecoin and HackerNoon: Round 1 Results 🎉

28 Apr 2025

Greetings from Space!

Welcome to the winners’ announcement for round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest, presented by Spacecoin and HackerNoon!

Since lift-off at the start of the year, we’ve seen writers, space geeks, and believers in the promise of decentralization tackle contest writing prompts inspired by Spacecoin’s mission—connecting purpose to blockchain infrastructure and bridging digital divides to bring affordable, borderless connectivity to billions—for a chance to win big from a 15,000 USDT prize pool as follows:

Up for Grabs in the Spacecoin Writing Contest

General Prizes (3000 USDT awarded after each round)	Sponsor prizes (6000 USDT awarded after the final round)
#decentralized-internet - 1000 USDT for best story	#spacecoin - 2000 USDT for best story
#spacetech - 1000 USDT for best story \| 500 USDT for runner up	#creditcoin - 2000 USDT for best story
#blockchain-use-case - 500 USDT for best story	#gluwa - 2000 USDT for best story

Stories published across all contest tags for the duration of Round 1 (Jan 7 - May 7, 2025) racked up 110k+ pageviews and about 100 hours of insightful reading. After submissions closed, HackerNoon Editors had the difficult job of narrowing down valid entries to 25 standout finalists, then teamed up with Spacecoin representatives to select the 4 winners we’re excited to share.

Reading about the Spacecoin Writing Contest for the first time?

No worries—there are still 2 more rounds and up to 11 more winners left to be crowned. ENTER NOW!

Contest Timeline

Round 1 [CLOSED]
Round 2: April 8 — July 7, 2025
Round 3: July 8 — October 7, 2025

Let’s meet our finalists!

The Spacecoin Writing Contest: Round 1 Finalists

In no particular order:

@mdstorms for What If You Could Shop for Electricity Like You Shop for Groceries?

@ileolami for Can a Decentralized Internet Make Free Speech and Global Access a Reality?

@web3judge for In Space, Nobody Knows Who Owns the Idea

@nebojsaneshatodorovic for Jews in Space: The Beginning of Sci-Fi Race

@jroseland for The Decentralized Internet Could Turn Us Into a Type-1 Civilization. The Alternative? Mass Slavery

@nisakaya15 for How Web3 is Transforming Carbon Trading in Circular Tech

@edwinliavaa for Who Even Needs Undersea Cables for Internet Anymore?

@thebojda for Ethereum is Not a World Computer, and Swarm is Much More Than Just a Hard Drive

@alfredodecandia for Is the Internet Doomed to Fallout? Why Decentralization Is Our Survival Plan

@InfiniteScroll for Will Musk Colonize Mars In His Lifetime? The Answer Won't Surprise You

@thebojda for Intergalactic Aliens: No Little Green Men—Just Cosmic USB Drives on a Mission

@Letotheelf for The Internet is Great, but Web3 is Better!

@edwinliavaa for A 2021 Hackathon Project Pitched Blockchain Internet. It Sounded Crazy—Until Now

@maken8 for The U.S. Dollar Is Just Socialism With Extra Steps

@induction for Turns Out, Star Trek Was Basically a Tech Roadmap

@nftbro for Here's How a Space Elevator Could Work

@walo for Public Dreams: Negotiating a Decentralised Internet

@franbrunori for Clean Energy Is a UX Problem

@thomascherickal for Deepfake Porn is Ruining Lives—Can Blockchain Help Stop It?

@maxo1st for More Yield, More Problems: The Restaking Risks You Can't Afford to Ignore

@oliveremeka for E-volution: An Internet Odyssey

@diamondolmd for Why Science Fiction May Be The Root Of Space Exploration

@quefear for Can Space-Based Solutions Save the Planet? Scientists Think So

@teebosie for What Would a Decentralized Internet Look Like?

@induction for Transforming Global Connectivity with Decentralized Internet Infrastructure

As you can see for yourself, round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest left us with a lot to think about—from rethinking how we trade carbon and electricity, to whether a decentralized internet could actually save free speech, or even humanity. There’s sci-fi, social critique, and space engineering—something for everyone! Don’t miss out—follow the works of these amazing writers on HackerNoon!

Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for…

Meet the Winners of Round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest

#decentralized-internet Category

The best #decentralized-internet story in Round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest is @jroseland’s The Decentralized Internet Could Turn Us Into a Type-1 Civilization. The Alternative? Mass Slavery

https://hackernoon.com/the-decentralized-internet-could-turn-us-into-a-type-1-civilization-the-alternative-mass-slavery?embedable=true

My grandfather helped put a man on the Moon. I’m fighting for something just as radical: a free and decentralized internet. It gives humanity a fighting chance at becoming a Kardeshevian type-1 civilization. The alternative is 7-8 billion slaves on this planet.

Congratulations @jroseland, you’ve won 1000 USDT

#spacetech Category

The #spacetech category awards two winners, in round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest, as follows:

Best #spacetech story: Intergalactic Aliens: No Little Green Men—Just Cosmic USB Drives on a Mission by @thebojda

https://hackernoon.com/intergalactic-aliens-no-little-green-menjust-cosmic-usb-drives-on-a-mission?embedable=true

Forget little green men—an advanced interstellar civilization is more likely to be a swarm of self-replicating nanobots, traveling on solar sail-powered spacecraft and building a galaxy-wide digital consciousness.

Congratulations @thebojda, you get to take home 1000 USDT

Runner up #spacetech story: Here's How a Space Elevator Could Work by @nftbro

https://hackernoon.com/heres-how-a-space-elevator-could-work?embedable=true

A space elevator is a proposed structure that would stretch from Earth’s surface into space, allowing cargo and possibly people to travel into orbit using a cable and mechanical climbers—no rockets needed.

Congratulations @nftbro, you’ve won 500 USDT

#blockchain-use-case Category

The best #blockchain-use-case story in Round 1 of the Spacecoin Writing Contest is @maxo1st’s More Yield, More Problems: The Restaking Risks You Can't Afford to Ignore

https://hackernoon.com/is-that-005percent-extra-yield-really-worth-the-risk-of-staking-your-crypto?embedable=true

Congratulations, you get 0.05% yield more and farm some points! Sounds great? Sure – until you realize that you’ve just staked risks across multiple layers without even knowing it. But you can ignore that – just like everybody else – until you can’t.

Congratulations @maxo1st, you’ve won 500 USDT

Congratulations once again to all our winners. Thank you for your hard work!

How to Claim Your HackerNoon Writing Contest Prize

Contact yes-reply@hackernoon.com and asher@hackernoon.com and share the email ID/and or wallet address attached to the winning HackerNoon account.
We will validate your claim and share a form requesting your details for reward distribution.
You will receive your winnings in 2-4 weeks after completing the form.

Please note that you must contact us within 60 days after the winners’ announcement date.

Ready to be a Winner?

Learn how you can participate in the Spacecoin Writing Contest HERE, and you could earn a spot on our next winners' list!

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